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University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Ph.D. Counselor Education

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Counselor Education Ph.D. program accredited?

  • Yes, the program is accredited through the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Am I a good fit for the UT Knoxville Counselor Education doctoral program?

  • This program is designed for experienced counseling professionals with master’s degrees in counseling or counseling-related fields who wish to advance their careers in the education and supervision of counselors. The doctoral program requires course work, internship, and dissertation hours of study beyond the master’s degree. Graduates of the Ph.D. Program in Counselor Education will work toward endorsement for counseling licensure, if licensure has not been received prior to entering the doctoral program. During the program, doctoral students will review the necessary criteria for the license and plan their programs to meet those criteria.

Are two years of post master’s degree counseling related experience required for admission?

  • Two years post master’s degree counseling experience is preferred, but not required for applicants.

How many students are admitted each year?

  • The average number of students admitted is from 4-6 per year.  We allow students to attend part-time or full-time so we do not follow a strict cohort model. 

How long does it take to finish the program?

  • Because we take full and part-time students, this varies. The range of time is 3.5 to 8 years. Eight (8) years is the maximum allowed by the University.

How do I apply?

  • To apply, you must complete two applications, one application to the department and another to the graduate school. Both applications are accessible online for download or online submission: http://web.utk.edu/~epsych/admissions_US.html . With the program application, please submit your vita and references by email to Ms. Julie Harden jharden@utk.edu 974-1319 or Ms. Amanda Rieger arieger@utk.edu (put in her phone number too).

If you prefer surface mail, her address follows:
Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling
A525 Claxton Complex
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-3452

Send your University of Tennessee Graduate School application, transcripts, and GRE scores to:

Graduate Admissions
201 Student Services
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996

When is the application deadline?

  • The annual deadline for application is December 15th. Notification of acceptance is February 15th the same year. Those admitted will begin their doctoral study the following fall semester. Additional program information is available on the web at http://web.utk.edu/~edpsych/counselor_ed/.

Where do I seek graduate assistantship information?

  • The UT Graduate School offers information helpful to future graduate students. You can view this information at http://gradstudies.utk.edu/FutureStudents.shtml
    You will find information specific to graduate assistantships, scholarships and fellowships under the Costs and Financial Aid section.

How about graduate assistantship information specific to the Department and Program?

  • Although we cannot guarantee an assistantship, we have been able to secure assistantships for 100% of our first year students who have requested an assistantship. All second year students who have desired assistantships have been able to secure assistantships either within the department, college or on campus.  We are proud to say that our students are sought after by other departments and colleges across campus. Our students have secured the two highest paid assistantships on campus. Many third year students secure assistantships too. However, a number of them prefer not to do an assistantship and focus on finishing the program that year. Students have conducted assistantships in our department, the Medical College, Engineering College, Governor’s School, Career Services Center, Thornton Student Athlete Tutoring Center, Student Success Center, etc. Number of students admitted has ranged from 2-10 per year. However, the norm is about 4-6 per year. We allow students to attend part-time or full-time so we do not follow a strict cohort model.

Do students conduct practicum and internship in the Ph.D. program?

  • As a CACREP accredited program, you are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of practicum (individual and group clinical counseling type experiences) and 600 hours of internship (divided up between supervision, teaching, and clinical [clinical can be clinical counseling or counselor education related activities]). Ph.D. students will supervise master’s degree students in school, mental health or rehabilitation counseling programs who are either in practicum or internship. This usually occurs over a couple of semesters. Ph.D. students will also co-teach or teach under faculty supervision (this depends on previous teaching experience) master’s level counseling courses. in the past, some Ph.D. students have the opportunity to teach undergraduate level courses for internship and some for pay as a GTA.

How will I get involved with research while a student there?

  • Students will be involved in research through several avenues. First, three CE Ph.D. research meetings are conducted each semester. Second, you can seek out involvement with faculty and students already conducting research. Third, faculty often will invite students to participate in research activities. Fourth, you will complete a research competency which will result in a research project, submission for publication and conference presentation. Fifth, you will complete a dissertation which will be very thorough, self-directed, research project.

Will I publish or present at conferences while a doctoral student?

  • You will have opportunities to publish as a main author and secondary author. Some students have published up to eight (8) pieces of work while here (e.g., book chapters, journal articles, etc.), but most students average about 3-6 publications Faculty hope that you will have published 3-4 pieces of work while here. These will help prepare you for interviews at major research universities should you want to apply there upon graduation. We encourage students to present locally, in the state, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Updated 10/14/2009

 

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Contact EPC

525 Jane & David Bailey Education Complex
1122 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3452

Phone: 865-974-8145
Fax: 865-974-0135